"At the time, Cage was teaching Experimental Composition at New York City's New School. Eight years beyond 4:33, he was (as our smoking MC informs us) the most controversial figure in the musical world at that time. His first performance on national television was originally scored to include five radios, but a union dispute on the CBS set prevented any of the radios from being plugged in to the wall. Cage gleefully smacks and tosses the radios instead of turning them on and off.

"At the time, Cage was teaching Experimental Composition at New York City's New School. Eight years beyond 4:33, he was (as our smoking MC informs us) the most controversial figure in the musical world at that time. His first performance on national television was originally scored to include five radios, but a union dispute on the CBS set prevented any of the radios from being plugged in to the wall. Cage gleefully smacks and tosses the radios instead of turning them on and off.

Saturday, 29 November 2008

What is the (Next) Message?: Big Ideas: No Educator Left Behind: "as a result of the changes the internet has brought to the way students communicate and interact, universities, if they are to remain relevant, must move from the current model of education as skills centered to one that is more focused on connectivity."

on a related note:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3zxThbUnAo&hl=en&fs=1]the above video can serve as a trailer/teaser for the full lecture; Mark is interviewed by GlobalTV on his take on the Ryerson Facebook Scandal.

Mark's address to TVO follows up on his famous essay, "Why Johnny Can't Read", Mark opens with the Fable of the Engineering Student, The College and The Facebook Studygroup...

TVO being strictly old-school communications has never heard of Facebook and only packaged the full video presentation for MOV file download; catch it at TVO: Big Ideas

What is the (Next) Message?: Big Ideas: No Educator Left Behind: "as a result of the changes the internet has brought to the way students communicate and interact, universities, if they are to remain relevant, must move from the current model of education as skills centered to one that is more focused on connectivity."

on a related note:

the above video can serve as a trailer/teaser for the full lecture; Mark is interviewed by GlobalTV on his take on the Ryerson Facebook Scandal.

Mark's address to TVO follows up on his famous essay, "Why Johnny Can't Read", Mark opens with the Fable of the Engineering Student, The College and The Facebook Studygroup...

TVO being strictly old-school communications has never heard of Facebook and only packaged the full video presentation for MOV file download; catch it at TVO: Big Ideas

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Surveying Skepticism | TDG - Science, Magick, Myth and History: "the skeptical movement is gaining serious traction online, despite their protestations that the world is being swallowed by the irrationality monster - witness the growing audiences of the Skeptics Guide podcast, Bad Astronomy, Pharyngula etc. Mind you, there's very good reasons to be a skeptic (in the true sense of the word) - there's no shortage of stupidity and fraud out there - but I think the reason why so many *pseudo-skeptics* are being embraced (e.g. Randi) is because they trade on intellectual superiority ('hey, if you're interested in that you must be a goofy anti-science guy') - and there's plenty of fragile egos out there wanting to join the 'smart club'. Me, I'll just continue to be unfashionable and look into strange and weird things, though with plenty of caution."

Surveying Skepticism | TDG - Science, Magick, Myth and History: "the skeptical movement is gaining serious traction online, despite their protestations that the world is being swallowed by the irrationality monster - witness the growing audiences of the Skeptics Guide podcast, Bad Astronomy, Pharyngula etc. Mind you, there's very good reasons to be a skeptic (in the true sense of the word) - there's no shortage of stupidity and fraud out there - but I think the reason why so many *pseudo-skeptics* are being embraced (e.g. Randi) is because they trade on intellectual superiority ('hey, if you're interested in that you must be a goofy anti-science guy') - and there's plenty of fragile egos out there wanting to join the 'smart club'. Me, I'll just continue to be unfashionable and look into strange and weird things, though with plenty of caution."

Surveying Skepticism | TDG - Science, Magick, Myth and History: "the skeptical movement is gaining serious traction online, despite their protestations that the world is being swallowed by the irrationality monster - witness the growing audiences of the Skeptics Guide podcast, Bad Astronomy, Pharyngula etc. Mind you, there's very good reasons to be a skeptic (in the true sense of the word) - there's no shortage of stupidity and fraud out there - but I think the reason why so many *pseudo-skeptics* are being embraced (e.g. Randi) is because they trade on intellectual superiority ('hey, if you're interested in that you must be a goofy anti-science guy') - and there's plenty of fragile egos out there wanting to join the 'smart club'. Me, I'll just continue to be unfashionable and look into strange and weird things, though with plenty of caution."

Monday, 24 November 2008

November 20, 2008 - A meteor or a unknown flying object lite up the night sky of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The unknown light lite up the sky at about 5:30pm MST, and various witnesses said there was also a loud boom in the sky aswell. Here is a news clip from Global Calgary Late Night News Edition that highlights this strange event.

"Did a vehicle Come from somewhere out there Just to land in the andes? Was it round And did it have A motor Or was it Something Different

Did a vehicle Did a vehicle Did a vehicle Fly along the mountains And find a place to park itself

Or did someone Build a place To leave a space For such a vehicle to land?"

November 20, 2008 - A meteor or a unknown flying object lite up the night sky of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The unknown light lite up the sky at about 5:30pm MST, and various witnesses said there was also a loud boom in the sky aswell. Here is a news clip from Global Calgary Late Night News Edition that highlights this strange event.

"Did a vehicle Come from somewhere out there Just to land in the andes? Was it round And did it have A motor Or was it Something Different

Did a vehicle Did a vehicle Did a vehicle Fly along the mountains And find a place to park itself

Or did someone Build a place To leave a space For such a vehicle to land?"

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Monster Island News: "According to NASA this photo was taken by the Intrepid Spirit Rover on the edge of Mars’ Gusev crater back in November of 2004. The image appears to show a human-like figure climbing down a rocky slope. NASA, however, hasn't made any comment on the image which was posted on their website Wednesday."

Monster Island News: "According to NASA this photo was taken by the Intrepid Spirit Rover on the edge of Mars??? Gusev crater back in November of 2004. The image appears to show a human-like figure climbing down a rocky slope. NASA, however, hasn't made any comment on the image which was posted on their website Wednesday."

Thursday, 20 November 2008

allen interview on VimeoOn a cold and rain-soaked October night, Marshall Allen made it all make sense…Here’s the first interview with Allen, where he breaks it down for ShoMerde’s FamousLee; his history in the Sun Ra Arkestra and his role as a Leader after Sun Ra’s passing.

Gen-We.org Video: Generation We "Millennials" were born between 1978 and 2000 and are now emerging as a social, political and philosophical force. The Future Majority wants to change the political process, they want to restore the environment, they want a healthy economy, and they're going to get it

from an idea found in the Amazon, click through to see the video; old-school curmudgeons like me can also find a nice PDF book to download.

allen interview on VimeoOn a cold and rain-soaked October night, Marshall Allen made it all make sense???Here???s the first interview with Allen, where he breaks it down for ShoMerde???s FamousLee; his history in the Sun Ra Arkestra and his role as a Leader after Sun Ra???s passing.

Gen-We.org Video: Generation We "Millennials" were born between 1978 and 2000 and are now emerging as a social, political and philosophical force. The Future Majority wants to change the political process, they want to restore the environment, they want a healthy economy, and they're going to get it

from an idea found in the Amazon, click through to see the video; old-school curmudgeons like me can also find a nice PDF book to download.

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Monster Island News: Breaking News! Godzilla Spotted In Chiba.....Wait....Its A Tree!: "This is a breaking news story, Godzilla has been spotted in Chiba Prefecture! Authorities are instructing residents to flee the area immediately. The JDF has been notified! Trucks with maser weapons are being mobilized as we speak......"[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ60G4whluc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Monday, 17 November 2008

Gary is ok. You're ok. The channel is open. Ok. Time to play with our cats.

How social networks work: the puzzle of exhaust data: Grant McCracken writes "Who on earth cares? What kind of communication is this? Can it be that we are using the internet to issue trivial facts about ourselves? Facts? The 'fact' that I am entertaining the cat is so staggeringly unimportant it fails to interest even the cat.

But there is another, anthropological, point of view. Exhaust data is, I think, a clear case of 'phatic communication.' This is communication with little hard, informational content, but lots of emotional and social content. Phatic communications doesn't get much said, but it has social effects so powerful, it gets lots done."

Gary is ok. You're ok. The channel is open. Ok. Time to play with our cats.

How social networks work: the puzzle of exhaust data: Grant McCracken writes "Who on earth cares? What kind of communication is this? Can it be that we are using the internet to issue trivial facts about ourselves? Facts? The 'fact' that I am entertaining the cat is so staggeringly unimportant it fails to interest even the cat.

But there is another, anthropological, point of view. Exhaust data is, I think, a clear case of 'phatic communication.' This is communication with little hard, informational content, but lots of emotional and social content. Phatic communications doesn't get much said, but it has social effects so powerful, it gets lots done."

Sunday, 16 November 2008

A much better image is that of the dancer. A dancer is locked into an environment, responsive to music, responsive to a partner. The idea that the dance is a state of us, inside of us, or something that happens in us is crazy. Our ability to dance depends on all sorts of things going on inside of us, but that we are dancing is fundamentally an attunement to the world around us."

A much better image is that of the dancer. A dancer is locked into an environment, responsive to music, responsive to a partner. The idea that the dance is a state of us, inside of us, or something that happens in us is crazy. Our ability to dance depends on all sorts of things going on inside of us, but that we are dancing is fundamentally an attunement to the world around us."

Friday, 14 November 2008

News for a Synergic Earth: Jay Hanson writes "The central problem that planet Earth faces today is NOT a problem of 'running out of energy,' or 'overfishing,' or 'the wrong kind of farming,' or 'the depletion of aquifers,' or 'too much CO2 in the atmosphere,' or [fill in the blanks]...

The problem that threatens to exterminate most higher forms of life on Earth -- and soon -- is the problem of 'human behavior.' Therefore, if one is searching for 'solutions,' one must look closely at what one sees in the mirror every morning. That's the central problem on planet Earth. It lives with all of us."

Ken Dow followed with some insightful comments that I wholeheartedly agree with: I see two shortcomings in Hanson's assertion. First, he overlooks the implications of Braungart's work in life-cycle design. The biomass of ants far exceeds humans, yet ants are a sign of a healthy ecosystem; our problem isn't how much we produce but how and more importantly what we produce. We can be more than sustainable, we can be ecologically generative.

Second, although Hanson hints at this when he suggests "one must look closely at what one sees in the mirror every morning", it's not politics but the level of human consciousness (e.g., Cook-Greuter's Nine Levels in Ego Development) that is limiting our options. Look in the mirror, yes. But look deeper before calling your MP or Member of Congress to demand solutions.

News for a Synergic Earth: Jay Hanson writes "The central problem that planet Earth faces today is NOT a problem of 'running out of energy,' or 'overfishing,' or 'the wrong kind of farming,' or 'the depletion of aquifers,' or 'too much CO2 in the atmosphere,' or [fill in the blanks]...

The problem that threatens to exterminate most higher forms of life on Earth -- and soon -- is the problem of 'human behavior.' Therefore, if one is searching for 'solutions,' one must look closely at what one sees in the mirror every morning. That's the central problem on planet Earth. It lives with all of us."

Ken Dow followed with some insightful comments that I wholeheartedly agree with: I see two shortcomings in Hanson's assertion. First, he overlooks the implications of Braungart's work in life-cycle design. The biomass of ants far exceeds humans, yet ants are a sign of a healthy ecosystem; our problem isn't how much we produce but how and more importantly what we produce. We can be more than sustainable, we can be ecologically generative.

Second, although Hanson hints at this when he suggests "one must look closely at what one sees in the mirror every morning", it's not politics but the level of human consciousness (e.g., Cook-Greuter's Nine Levels in Ego Development) that is limiting our options. Look in the mirror, yes. But look deeper before calling your MP or Member of Congress to demand solutions.

Thursday, 13 November 2008

Fake New York Times Distributed With Headline: “Iraq War Ends”: This morning in NYC international pranksters The Yes Men recruited volunteers through the website Because We Want It to distribute thousands of copies of a fake version of the New York Times dated July 4, 2009 with the headline “Iraq War Ends”. (Video News)[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO6Oi3XUYgg&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Barack Obama Elected President: "the data show a consistent positive trend that continues through the declaration at 23:00 ET and his subsequent speech to 125,000 people at Grant Park in Chicago and the public via TV. The formal data segment overall shows a modest positive trend through the 24 hour period. Chisquare is 86806.274 on 86400 df, for p = 0.164 and Z = 0.977. This represents a relatively large effect size compared with the average of Z = 0.33 over the full GCP database."

"remembering that we cannot reliably interpret single events like this, nevertheless it appears that the election shows at least as strong an effect as the terror attacks"

Barack Obama Elected President: "the data show a consistent positive trend that continues through the declaration at 23:00 ET and his subsequent speech to 125,000 people at Grant Park in Chicago and the public via TV. The formal data segment overall shows a modest positive trend through the 24 hour period. Chisquare is 86806.274 on 86400 df, for p = 0.164 and Z = 0.977. This represents a relatively large effect size compared with the average of Z = 0.33 over the full GCP database."

"remembering that we cannot reliably interpret single events like this, nevertheless it appears that the election shows at least as strong an effect as the terror attacks"

Saturday, 8 November 2008

Field diffusion, sounds in sounds. creating an auditory field on the streets of Budapest with Kim Cascone

I love these planters. This is a great venue for a new Ambient music that does not recreate any elsewhere (or elsewhen) nor thrust forth to dominate the whole sonic space; it simply and elegantly (dare I say 'artfully'?) complements and highlights an existing natural sound environment. Art that just is.

I'd love to do this in Owen Sound, only, I'd include microphones in two separated installations, each sourcing local sounds to be mixed in and presented at the other location(s) as an audio Hole In Space experience.

Field diffusion, sounds in sounds. creating an auditory field on the streets of Budapest with Kim Cascone

I love these planters. This is a great venue for a new Ambient music that does not recreate any elsewhere (or elsewhen) nor thrust forth to dominate the whole sonic space; it simply and elegantly (dare I say 'artfully'?) complements and highlights an existing natural sound environment. Art that just is.

I'd love to do this in Owen Sound, only, I'd include microphones in two separated installations, each sourcing local sounds to be mixed in and presented at the other location(s) as an audio Hole In Space experience.

Tuesday, 4 November 2008

An Introduction to Sine-Wave Speech: Listen up, because this is important - Matt Davis writes "In this work, Remez and colleagues demonstrated a dramatic change in the way in which sine-wave speech sentences are perceived, depending on listener's specific prior knowledge.

[After hearing the intelligible sample] Listening to the sine-wave speech sound again produces a very different percept of a fully intelligible spoken sentence. This dramatic change in perception is an example of 'perceptual insight' or pop-out. We have argued that this form of pop-out is an example of a top-down perceptual process"

A startlingly clear illustration of how your own expectations can completely change the way you experience the world; play the sine-wave speech phrase, it is gibberish, at best mostly gibberish. then play the original, which will shake what you thought you knew, but NOW go back to that encoded version and have another go ...

An Introduction to Sine-Wave Speech: Listen up, because this is important - Matt Davis writes "In this work, Remez and colleagues demonstrated a dramatic change in the way in which sine-wave speech sentences are perceived, depending on listener's specific prior knowledge.

[After hearing the intelligible sample] Listening to the sine-wave speech sound again produces a very different percept of a fully intelligible spoken sentence. This dramatic change in perception is an example of 'perceptual insight' or pop-out. We have argued that this form of pop-out is an example of a top-down perceptual process"

A startlingly clear illustration of how your own expectations can completely change the way you experience the world; play the sine-wave speech phrase, it is gibberish, at best mostly gibberish. then play the original, which will shake what you thought you knew, but NOW go back to that encoded version and have another go ...

However, the impressive number of bacteria doesn't mean that they appear on all hands. On the contrary, the scientists discovered that only five species were common to all test subjects. Compared to the diversity on their hands, this number is infinitely small. Even the same person’s hands don't have too many bacteria in common. Only 17 percent of species were found on both hands."

Our particulate matter is so overwhelmingly bacterial (200:1) I suppose this isn't so surprising, but it is surprising we're all so DIFFERENT, bacterially speaking, even from one hand to the next; the researches say they should be able to 'fingerprint' individuals by the 'timbre' of their bacterial residue.

However, the impressive number of bacteria doesn't mean that they appear on all hands. On the contrary, the scientists discovered that only five species were common to all test subjects. Compared to the diversity on their hands, this number is infinitely small. Even the same person???s hands don't have too many bacteria in common. Only 17 percent of species were found on both hands."

Our particulate matter is so overwhelmingly bacterial (200:1) I suppose this isn't so surprising, but it is surprising we're all so DIFFERENT, bacterially speaking, even from one hand to the next; the researches say they should be able to 'fingerprint' individuals by the 'timbre' of their bacterial residue.